Anime & Manga News

Bandai Namco Reorganizes Bandai Visual, Lantis, Sunrise Units

by arsonal
Feb 10, 2018 8:36 PM | 16 Comments
Bandai Namco Holdings, a major developer of entertainment products and services, announced a major reorganization of several subsidiaries related to its toys, amusement, audiovisual, and animation businesses on Friday. The announcement was made along with the publication of company's financial statements for the third quarter (ending in December) of fiscal year 2018.

Bandai Namco will merge its animation video packaging unit Bandai Visual and animation music production subsidiary Lantis into a single company named Bandai Namco Arts. The combined business will have a total of 240 employees and will be led by Kazumi Kawashiro, who is currently president of Bandai Visual. Meanwhile, Lantis president Shunji Inoue will move into the role of vice president of Bandai Namco Arts.

Bandai Visual was founded in 1983 as a subsidiary of toymaker Bandai under the name AE Planning. That same year, the company released director Mamoru Oshii's Dallos, the first anime title to use the original video animation (OVA) designation. Lantis, which was established in 1999 by former employees of Bandai Music Entertainment, became a subsidiary of Bandai Visual in 2006 but remained a separate business. The trade names of Bandai Visual and Lantis, which have been familiar to consumers and industry players for decades, will cease to exist following the merger.

In the animation business, Bandai Namco will shift the focus of Sunrise from that of animation production to intellectual property (IP) creation. Although Sunrise's operating revenue only forms a small portion of Bandai Namco's total revenue—animation sales are forecasted at just under 20 billion yen out of a total 630 billion yen in group consolidated sales for the fiscal year ending March 31—properties such as Gundam and Love Live! are of interest to the group's video, music, game, and other businesses.

Sunrise has come to rely on existing major titles, including Gundam, in order to grow the business in recent years. While this strategy was an effective way to draw upon the studio's strengths in animation production, Bandai Namco plans to revitalize the studio by leveraging on its experience in creating lasting manga and anime properties. In its three-year plan through March 2021, Bandai Namco indicates it plans to invest an additional 25 billion yen into creating new IP, on top of existing investment plans.

According to Tadashi Sudo of the Animation Business Journal, Bandai Namco's reorganization, primarily around the video and music businesses, puts the company in a better position to compete with production conglomerates such as Avex Pictures and Sony Music Group's Aniplex. The combination of Bandai Visual and Lantis will eliminate redundancies in both businesses, as well as allow Bandai Namco Arts to drive new investment into music and live entertainment while capitalizing on Sunrise's IP creation strengths.


Other changes planned by Bandai Namco include the creation of Bandai Spirits, a hobby business aimed at adult customers, as a subsidiary of the main Bandai toys and hobby unit. Additionally, the amusement machine business of Bandai Namco Entertainment will be split off into a new company named Bandai Namco Amusement. Bandai Spirits will have approximately 450 employees, while Bandai Namco Amusement will have approximately 750 employees.

Bandai Namco's reorganization will come into effect at the start of the new fiscal year on April 1.

Source: Animation Business Journal 1, Animation Business Journal 2

16 Comments Recent Comments

Well, i think it can be a good choice or bad choice to Sunrise Studio become Intellectual Property Creation. Good because it can make new franchise beside Gundam (recent anime little boring) and Love Live. Bad if the new division can't make any new progress about other franchise.

Feb 18, 2018 1:25 AM by KiloFoxtrot09

Okay now give me love live sunshine season 3 or a muse reunion movie :'(

Feb 17, 2018 9:27 AM by ichii_1

So who's taking over animation? Bandai Namco Arts?

I really don't want any existing shows dying out. If only Sunrise still remained independent but that was the '90s...

Feb 16, 2018 10:49 PM by Yas-

IMHO, Gundum should be die soon so we can get another great new anime IP (also code geass)

Feb 15, 2018 4:26 AM by SaltyShoebill

So... more orignal creations coming out of SUnrise? That's... GREAT !!
On the other hand, "creating new IPs" means exploiting those new original series / movies to make franchises out of them... snif.

KuuhakuDesu said:
Instead of dropping Sunrise, they're actually going to incest more in it, so it's quite good.

Nice lapsus.

Feb 11, 2018 8:38 AM by Rei_III

This can be considered a double-edged sword but in all honesty I do hope they can manage this well, since they want to expand more in their property so that's rather fine. I guess,

Feb 11, 2018 4:16 AM by removed-user

Well, too bad about Sunrise being basically dropped as an animation studio but it's true that in recent years it was nothing but idol crap and increasingly stale Gundam milking. It's still a shame mecha is becoming an endangered species.

Feb 11, 2018 2:51 AM by Antanaru

Come on Garupan S2

Feb 11, 2018 2:22 AM by Pysseloskar

Bamco need to do that soo bad since they has pretty inefficient model bussiness with too much subsidiary with conflicting role... aren't they just splitting sunrise with bandai namco picture?

Feb 11, 2018 1:18 AM by Kuma

As long as they keep the Gunpla production. I have my eyes set on some models. Cannot have them not produced anymore.

Feb 10, 2018 9:27 PM by shanimebib

"properties such as Gundam trash and Love Live! are of interest to the group's video, music, game, and other businesses.

Give me Rabu Raibu game that isn't a gay rhythm game pls Bandai Namco Games.

Feb 10, 2018 9:20 PM by Elegade

Although not mentioned, they acquired the Actas studio recently. The most promising franchise in the studio is Girls und Panzer. I do not think they will invest in television media, perhaps in products. Maybe they do not develop an original in the studio? Or explore their creation, Princess Principal, an anime whose production served as a front, while Bandai negotiated the purchase of Actas in the summer of last year. I discovered this when I read a tweet from the director of Actas talking about how 3hz would produce this original in exchange for helping them finish Girls und Panzer.

Feb 10, 2018 9:12 PM by ronie91

They're also going into E-sports, that's a double edged sword since I like single player and co-op games for the most part.

Feb 10, 2018 9:10 PM by Hoppy

hopefully new anime franchises will be created by Sunrise then other than Gundam and Love Live

Feb 10, 2018 8:49 PM by deg

Well this is a good thing, they can't keep milking Gundam and Love Live forever. We need new properties from them. Even something as detestable as Cross Ange was a breath of fresh air.

Feb 10, 2018 8:43 PM by moodie

i think industry is changing..

well i never knew lantis was associated with Bamco

Feb 10, 2018 8:42 PM by Xaelath

It’s time to ditch the text file.
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